This year we went for holiday into
Zell am See, Austria. We are usually going into mountains. My wife and daughters are using cable cars, I'm walking up on my own legs and only for return using cable car. This year travelled with us also my wife's mother and my friend Laco. We left our "normal" life on Saturday's morning, August 13 after 7 o'clock and arrived to our holiday place at about 18 o'clock - we have lost a lot of time in traffic jams on motorway. It was something we didn't know until this year. After some wandering around we found our pension. It is located near to Zell am See (
Schütdorf), next to shopping zone, near to sport airport. Not quite quiet place, but good enough. Also price is very reasonable.
Sunday
Today we go to near Kaprun, to the top of
Kitzsteinhorn (~3200). Journey consists of three cable cars. The third one ends at the glacier under the top. But I don't like moving up by cable car, so I used only the first one, then I went by walk to the second station and from here to the col under
Hohe Kammerscharte (2689). Others went to glacier where children with Laco were sledging. At the end we all met back at the second station and returned to pension.
Monday
It is raining today. Ok, we can go to the Zeller See, here we can take ship to make sail around the whole lake. Because we missed boat at port nearest to pension, we went to main port in the city. After sail we took another boat to get the opposite coast of the lake -
Thumersbach. After return we took a walk over city; there was some local feast, so some music was played and dancers in costumes were dancing. Meanwhile rain stopped and weather got better.
Tuesday
There's fog in the morning, but at 11:00 it disappears. We go walk to the nearest cable car to
Areitalm. From this point it is possible to walk to another cable car, which goes directly into city. On the path is many playgrounds for the children. I went in direction to Schmittenhöhe, but ended a few hundreds meter before the peak - we want go there also another day. So I returned to the second cable car, met the others and descented to the city. Here we wanted to go for a ride on rodelbahn, but ... we couldn't find it. At the end we asked one of local people we met, but he was surprised. Rodelbahn is here, but it works only in winter, when snow is here. That way we learnt what is difference between rodelbahn and summer rodelbahn (that is one we know - car on the pipe trace)
Wednesday
Today we go again to Kaprun to see dams at hydroelectric power station. One can get there using two buses and lift. My target point is
Griesskogel (3066). Higher lake altitude is 2055, so it will be good practice. Path first leads through pastures, then mountain changes into rocks and stones. Somewhere on the way is another peek -
Kleine Griesskogel (2669), but it is unmarked, so I didn't found it. After less than two and half of hour I stood on the top and looked at
Hocheiser (3206). But I hadn't more time to go there and also better equipment is needed as path leads through snow field.
As I was there alone, I sang myself two Na'vi songs and wrote a few Na'vi words into top-book. Descend back to upper dam was quicker (under two hours) as I slide on the snow field, but I got one's feet snow.
Thursday
Our today's target is
Schmittenhöhe (2000). My family uses cable car as usually, me my own legs. I went through Sonnaln and Sonnenkogel (1856) on the trail through the forest, what was pleasant in the heat. There's ridge between Sonnenkogel and Schmittenhöhe, where we met each other; then we continued to the opposites places (me to Schmittenhöhe, others to Sonnenkogel), from which we descended back.
On Schmittenhöhe is starting point of paragliders, I spent there about two hours to see how pilots are preparing for flight, take run and then fly. Well, it is something I'd probably like to try. My dream is to climb up mountain and fly down using paraglide. It is great to ascend the mountain, but from the top you must go down again...
Friday
Our last day started with cloudy, but early sky was clear. We go again into Kaprun, to the
Maiskogelalm and
Sigm.Thun gorge. It is quite warm and sultriness. In the half of journey to the top sky got dark and thundered. My wife called me by phone, that storm is coming on the top, so she with others returns. I turned back too. In short time started to rain, not so much, so I simply went faster instead of using raincoat, I was a few hundreds meters from the nearest cottage. Big mistake. After no more than half of minute heavy storm came. Strong wind run raindrops horizontally, so I got completely wet in a few seconds. I started to run and reached the cottage. I had to wring out the clothes and pour water out of shoes. I don't remember if I ever was so wet. People from cottage offered me towel, it was very useful. Storm was so heavy that even cable car stopped to go. In 20 minutes everything was Ok and we met back at car. However gorge was losed because of wet, so our programme ended.
Saturday
Day of return. We left pension quite late, at 8:30, and because we did too many stops (one at shopping centre, and also in restaurant to have dinner), we arrived home at 20:00. And small surprise - I found all car documents at home, I was driving all the week without them!
Some pictures
